Catheter



CATHETER P. A. RAICHE May 25, 1943.

Original Filed June 6, 1936* Patented May 25, 1943 I a CATHETER.

Paul A. Raiche, North Providence, R. 1., asslgnor to Davol RubberCompany, a corporation Rhode Island Application June 6, 1936, Serial No.83,948

2 Claims.

This application is a continuationin part of application Ser. No. 49,055filed November 9, 1935, for Construction of rubber articles.

My present invention relates to medical apparatus and has particularreference to catheters and other articles having inflatable walls.

It is the principal object of my invention to provide a rubber articleof integral construction having an interior recess in the walls thereof,whereby part of the wall may be inflated if desired.

It is a further object of my invention to specifically apply theimproved construction to a catheter, in order to obtain a retaining orinternal treatment catheter having an integral inflatable bulb.

It is a further object of my vide a novel construction for obtainingwall recesses in any dipped article without using separate articlepieceswhich must be cemented toether.

With the above and other object and advantageous features in view, myinvention consists of a novel article, more fully disclosed in thedetailed description following, in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, and more specifically defined in the claims appended thereto.In the drawing, which shows the invention as specifically applied to acatheter,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a novel catheter embodying the principle of myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a section of Fig. 1 on the line 2-2' thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a novel dip rod;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a novel wire form used in conjunctiontherewith;

Figs. '7, 8, 9 and 10'are sections showing the sequence of steps inmanufacturing the novel catheter;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing an intermediate stage ofconstruction;

' Fig. 12 is a view, partly broken away, showing the completed novelinflatable portion as it appears when inflated; and

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a modifled constructionproviding a funnel inlet.

It has been found-desirable to manufacture rubber articles, andparticularly articles intended for medical and surgical use so as toprovide an integral article having inflatable wall portions, theinflatable portions being independently controllable. For example, aninternal treatment catheter requires a flow channel for the passageinvention to proof treating fluid, and is made with an inflatable bulbportion according to my invention, which permits an independentinflation of the bulb so as to retain the catheter in treatmentposition, and to permit use of the catheter as a yielding massageinstrument or the like if desired. Catheters of this type haveheretofore been made in several pieces which are cemented together, thusproducing undesirable seams which hinder introduction of the catheter,in addition to the danger of the seams separating and coming apart.

I have therefore devised a method for manui'acturing an integral, onepiece bulb catheter, utilizing a dip form such as a rod ill, see Fig. 5,which has a longitudinal groove I I. This dip rod is dipped apredetermined number of times in latex, which may be prevulcanized orunvulcanized, to obtain a coat l2, see Fig. 8; a wire form l3, see Fig.6, having a manually graspable bent end l4, and a bent end l5 which isbreakable from the wire l3 at a point ii of reduced area, is thenpositioned in the groove ll over the latex formed-therein, as indicatedin Fig. 9, and held in place in any desired manner, as by thin spacedlatex bands. The form and wire are then dipped again, whereby a thickcoat ll, see Fig. 10 is formed, the form and coat at this stage ofmanufacture having the appearance shown in Fig. 11. A portion it of thecoat of any suitable width such as indicated by the letter A is thenpainted .with a local curing agent, such as a solution of sulphurchloride gas in alcohol or a solution of bromine gas in alcohol, thesolution providing a surface cure for the painted portion l8. Thearticle is then allowed to dry to facilitate handling; the end I5 isthen broken off, and the dipping resumed to produce the completedcatheter l9 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the catheter bein'g'dried and thencured, the rod lfl and wire l3 then being withdrawn.

The completed catheter, see Fig. 2, thus consists of an elongated tubewhich has an integral independent passageway 20 formed in the wallthereof, the passageway 20 terminating between spaced walls i8 and 2|which provide a space or recess 22 therebetweendue to the initial curingof the portion l8, whereby a bulb 23 is formed which may be inflated, asindicated in Fig. 12, by forcing air or other fluid under pressurethrough the passageway 20. An eye 2| is preferably formed in thecatheter tip 25 between the end and the inflatable bulb at the end ofthe catheter, the eye communicating with the main catheter passageway26. A small flexible tube may, if desired, be used in place of the wire13;

area and restricting It is desirable for certain uses to provide afunnel entrance to the passageway 20. This is readily accomplished bymounting a funnel or cone shaped member 21 on the end of the passagewaywire form, see Fig. 13; the end is designated 28 and is preferably madelonger than member 21 to receive the member 21, which slides over it toa point adjacent the linear central portion of the wire form, a kink 29being provided near the inner portion of the end 28 to releasably lockthe member in place. If desired, the free end of the end 28 may be madelonger and bent over to twist around the rod ill, or to engage a hookplaced thereon, so as to keep the end and the funnel shaped memberseated thereon in fixed relation to the rod iii. The completed dippingof the catheter thus provides the end 30 with a boss having a funnelinlet for the bulb passageway.

The breakable end i5 may be omitted if de sired; an opening for the endof the passageway 29 may then be made, after the local curing solutionis applied to the portion A, by burning or otherwise cutting an openingthrough the locally treated portion, to the end of the wire form it.After forming the opening, additional curing solution is applied to theformed opening, in order to prevent adherence of material during thefinal dipping which provides the final coating and the outer wall of therecess.

Although bromine in alcohol solution is suitable for the local curing,there is a slight tendency for vaporization of the bromine and aresultant migration of the bromine vapor, which tends to produce anirregular edge for the treated area. It is therefore preferred forcertain constructions to mix tale with the bromine solution and thusform a flowing paste which can be painted on the selected local areawithout spreading. The process thus includes a painting with semi-liquidpaste, which is allowed to remain in place for a sufiicient time toobtain the local curing, and is then washed off; the surface is driedand is then ready for the final dipping.

Although I have described the invention is specifically applied to aretaining type catheter, it is obvious that the invention may be appliedto any article which is made by dipping into a rubber or rubber likesolution for producing a final article having a high degree ofelasticity,

The preferred dipping solution is latex, which may be prevulcanizedmaterial having similar characteristics may be used; the article isfirst formed" to an intermediate stage, then a portion thereof issurface cured to prevent adherence, then the clipping is continued so tocomplete the article, whereby the completed article is an integral onepiece article having an inner recess. The invention may be utilized forthe manufacture of rubber articles in general, by dipping, surfacecuring, and then dipping again, to obtain one piece ar-' ticles havinginner chambers, recesses, passageways, or openings.

7 Although I have describedthe rubber articlesas formed by dipping, anycoating process may be used, the form being coated, then surface treatedlocally to prevent adherence over the 'treated area, and then coatedagain. Any coating material may thus be used to provide an integralfinished product having inner recesses and the like. The surface curingagents are preferably in solution form, the halogen gases in alcoholbeing suitable for the described purpose, but may be of other materials,either solid, paste, liquid or gaseous, having the property of producinga local surface curing.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of myinvention, it is obvious that changes in the manner of forming, in thematerials used for the article and for the dip solution, in thematerials used for the local surface curing, and in the arrangement ofthe parts for producing the desired completed internal recess and theformation of passageways leading thereto, may be made without departingf om the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. An integral one piece inflatable catheter having a bore and a wallrecess spaced from the end, the wall of the catheter having a fluidpassageway extending longitudinally thereof and communicating with saidrecess, the wall portion between the wall recess and the end having adischarge opening therethrough communicating with the bore, the catheterhaving a fluid inlet boss provided with a funnel shaped inletcommunicating with said passageway.

2. An integral one-piece inflatable catheter including a tubular bodymember of soft rubber and substantially uniform external dimension fromend to .end of predetermined character to correspond with the orifice tobe treated and.

having a bore and a wall recess spaced from one end, the wall of thecatheter having a fluid passageway extending longitudinally thereof fromthe other end and communicating with said recess, the wall portionbetween the wall recess and the first mentioned end having a dischargeopening therethrough communicating with the bore.

PAUL A. RAICHE.

or nonvulcanized, but any 4

